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Background information on candidates published in Post Gazette April 29, 2015

District 2

"Part of the North Hills will have a new representative on Allegheny County Council next year for the first time since voters did away with the old board of commissioners system 15 years ago. Councilwoman Jan Rea has decided not to run for a fifth term in the heavily Republican District 2, leaving the field open for Mary Anne Eisenreich, 64, most recently the southwest regional director for former Gov. Tom Corbett, and Cindy Kirk, 58, a nurse administrator. The candidates, both Republicans from McCandless, said advocacy has been a hallmark of their careers. Since no Democrat filed for the seat, the winner likely will win the seat in November."

"Democrat Barbara Daly Danko, 61, who has held the District 11 seat on Allegheny County Council, representing the city’s East End since 2011, died at her Regent Square home on May 6. Her name will appear on the ballot, along with that of fellow Democrat Caroline Mitchell, 68, a retired lawyer and chemical engineer who taught for 30 years at Carnegie Mellon University and has family ties to the neighborhoods in this district."

Published in City Paper May 13, 2015 In her final weeks, Daly Danko penned a letter to her constituents that included this request:"It was previously explained to me that my name will remain on the primary ballot later this month. If my nomination and/r election is vacated, it is my understanding that the Democratic Committee members from County Council District 11 will elect someone to fill the void. I hope that they will carefully consider all interested candidates and support someone who will study the issues and always vote based on the best interests of the citizens of Allegheny County."

District 13

"The candidates running for the Democratic nomination for the District 13 seat on Allegheny County Council were both drawn to public service in part by their families. A relative newcomer to politics, Denise Ranalli Russell took her mother-in-law’s longtime seat on the 27th Ward committee after her death. A barber and manager at Ranalli’s Barber Shop in Etna, she often uses “we” in describing her efforts in preparation for the May primary and cites the support of her husband, also a ward committeeman. Her opponent, attorney Dan Connolly, was 10 when his father, Robert, died in the Flight 427 crash in Hopewell. His mother and his father’s twin brother helped form a support group and lobbied for what became the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act, a bill of rights for victims’ families that was enacted after several major aviation accidents."